Andre Hüpers

Release of mineral-bound water prior to subduction tied to shallow seismogenic slip off Sumatra

Sediments tell a tsunami story Trying to understand where major earthquakes and tsunamis might occur requires analysis of the sediments pouring into a subduction zone. Thick sediments were expected to limit earthquake and tsunami size in the Sumatran megathrust event in 2004, but the magnitude 9.2 earthquake defied expectations. Hüpers et al. analyzed sediments recovered from the Sumatran megathrust. They found evidence of sediment dehydration, which increased fault strength and allowed for the much larger earthquake to occur. Thus, models of other subduction zones, such as the Gulf of Alaska, may underestimate the maximum earthquake magnitude and tsunami risk. Science, this issue p. 841 Sediments drilled near the rupture of the 2004 great Sumatran earthquake provide insight into the unexpectedly large tsunami. Plate-boundary fault rupture during the 2004 Sumatra-Andaman subduction earthquake extended closer to the trench than expected, increasing earthquake and tsunami size. International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 362 sampled incoming sediments offshore northern Sumatra, revealing recent release of fresh water within the deep sediments. Thermal modeling links this freshening to amorphous silica dehydration driven by rapid burial-induced temperature increases in the past 9 million years. Complete dehydration of silicates is expected before plate subduction, contrasting with prevailing models for subduction seismogenesis calling for fluid production during subduction. Shallow slip offshore Sumatra appears driven by diagenetic strengthening of deeply buried fault-forming sediments, contrasting with weakening proposed for the shallow Tohoku-Oki 2011 rupture, but our results are applicable to other thickly sedimented subduction zones including those with limited earthquake records.

Constraints on fluid flow processes in the Hellenic Accretionary Complex (eastern Mediterranean Sea) from numerical modeling

The dynamics of accretionary convergent margins are severely influenced by intense deformation and fluid expulsion. To quantify the fluid pressure and fluid flow velocities in the Hellenic subduction system, we set up 2-D hydrogeological numerical models following two seismic reflection lines across the Mediterranean Ridge. These profiles bracket the along-strike variation in wedge geometry: moderate compression and a >4 km thick underthrust sequence in the west versus enhanced compression and <1 km of downgoing sediment in the center. Input parameters were obtained from preexisting geophysical data, drill cores, and new geotechnical laboratory experiments. A permeability-porosity relationship was determined by a sensitivity analysis, indicating that porosity and intrinsic permeability are small. This hampers the expulsion of fluids and leads to the build up of fluid overpressure in the deeper portion of the wedge and in the underthrust sediment. The loci of maximum fluid pressure are mainly controlled by the compactional fluid source, which generally decreases toward the backstop. However, pore pressure is still high at the decollement level at distances <100 km from the deformation front, either by the incorporation of low permeability evaporites or additional compaction of the wedge sediments in the two profiles. In the west, however, formation of a wide accretionary complex is facilitated by high pore pressure zones. When compared to other large accretionary complexes such as Nankai or Barbados, our results not only show broad similarities but also that near-lithostatic pore pressures may be easier to maintain in the Hellenic Arc because of accentuated collision, some underthrust evaporates, and a thicker underthrust sequence.

Limitation of fluid flow at the Nankai Trough megasplay fault zone

Along the Nankai Trough megasplay fault off SE Japan, the effect of fluid migration on subduction-related seismogenesis and tsunamigenesis remains unresolved. To investigate the existence and role of fluid flow, a SmartPlug borehole observatory was installed at Site C0010 of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program NanTroSEIZE Kumano transect, where a shallow branch of the fault was intersected and in situ fluid pressure monitored from August 2009 to November 2010. The tidal signal in the formation showed no phase shift relative to seafloor loading. The attenuation of 0.73 reflects the loading efficiency accurately, and enabled calculation of a formation compressibility of 1.0×10–9 Pa–1 and a hydraulic diffusivity (HD) of 1.5×10–5 m2 s–1. A similar HD is predicted by a tidal response model based on SmartPlug pressure data. By contrast, permeability measurements on intact samples from Site C0004 SE along-strike the splay fault and from Site C0006 in the frontal thrust zone were found to be similar and one magnitude smaller respectively, despite having a higher porosity. This is explained by the presence of fractures, which are covered by the larger scale of in situ measurements at Site C0010. Consequently, HD can be set to be at least 10–5 m2 s–1 for the splay fault and 10–6 m2 s–1 for the frontal thrust fault zone. Considering recent publications makes fluid flow at the splay fault unlikely, despite the presence of fractures. If the influence of fractures is limited, then processes leading to fault weakening may be enhanced.

Lithologic control of frictional strength variations in subduction zone sediment inputs

At convergent margins, marine sediments deposited seaward of the subduction zone forearc on the incoming plate (the “subduction inputs”) represent the initial condition for geomechanical processes during subduction. The frictional strength of these sediments is a key parameter governing deformation during subduction, which is controlled to first order by lithologic composition. We combine here the results of laboratory friction experiments and quantification of mineral assemblage for scientific drilling samples recovered from three particularly well-studied subduction zones: the Nankai Trough (southwestern Japan), the Japan Trench (northeastern Japan), and Costa Rica. In the Japan Trench, frictionally weak smectite-rich pelagic clay contrasts sharply with stronger, more siliceous hemipelagic material. This strength contrast dictates the stratigraphic position of initial plate boundary formation and influences slip behavior of the shallow megathrust. In the Costa Rica subduction zone, relatively weak clay-rich hemipelagic sediment overlies frictionally strong pelagic nannofossil oozes and chalks, which could be a factor for the development of features such as a small amount of offscraping near the toe and subduction erosion where ooze or chalk dominates. In the Nankai Trough, however, a wide range of frictional strength values is observed that does not correlate with clay mineral content. In this case, mechanical behavior at Nankai is likely influenced by other factors related to diagenesis or fluid overpressuring.